Seniors citizens moved, staffer suspended

Updated 8:26 am, Tuesday, June 18, 2013

BRIDGEPORT -- The discovery of asbestos in the city's senior citizen center has temporarily displaced members for the summer while a new facility is built.

Meanwhile, the senior center's social services coordinator, Rosemary Wong, has been suspended following a heated exchange last week that some said stemmed from Wong's attempt to bring the affected seniors into a private meeting on the subject with city officials.

The Dwight Eisenhower Senior Citizen Center at 263 Golden Hill St. is one of three city properties the Finch administration swapped last summer with downtown developer Phil Kuchma. Kuchma also received lots at 285 Golden Hill and 1208 Broad streets. He intends to build apartments and a new gym to serve the neighborhood.

In exchange, Kuchma is renovating the former American Legion Hall he owns at 307 Golden Hill St. into a senior center to give to the city.

That project is expected to be completed by August. But the city, which is in charge of conducting the environmental remediation on the Eisenhower as part of the property exchange, has discovered asbestos there.

So Friday, Mayor Bill Finch's office announced a solution. For the next six to eight weeks, senior center activities and lunch will be hosted a few blocks away at the Margaret E. Morton Government Center. Seniors who have been using the Eisenhower Center pool will have free access and transportation to the pool and gym at Fitness 4000 on Park Avenue.

"We heard from our seniors that it is important to maintain these activities during the transition and make every effort to keep the group together," Finch said in a statement. "Safety is everyone's concern, so the current building must be vacated while the asbestos-abatement work is performed."

Not mentioned was that Wong was suspended with pay pending an investigation over an incident with Alanna Kabel, Finch's assistant chief administrative officer, during a meeting about the senior center last Wednesday.

The dispute occurred at a meeting at the Eisenhower Center organized by City Council members who represent the Golden Hill neighborhood and wanted a better understanding of what was happening with asbestos.

At the last minute, Councilwoman Denese Taylor-Moye, D-131, was unable to attend. Colon, herself a former councilwoman from that same district, went in Taylor-Moye's place.

According to Colon's email, the administration was upset when some seniors were allowed to attend what the mayor's office expected to be a private meeting. Wong was blamed, but Colon said she and Councilman Jack Banta, D-131, had extended the invitation because the seniors were asking them questions they could not answer.